Love in Bloom
by a kiss of winter
Summary: Roses are meant to be romantic, and fairytales are certainly famous for their love. Yet when the least likely of pairings, a Prince Charming with the Evil Queen, and the most typical of romantic gestures collide, it makes for one wonderful story.
1. Light Pink -- Admiration

_**-xoxo-**_

_**Love in Bloom**_

_**-xoxo-**_

Dexter might have been born into the Charming family, but there was no questioning the fact that he had trouble living up to his name from time to time. Girls still threw themselves at him, but only because of his status, and he knew it. As a Prince, he should have been the type to walk with his head held high, instead, he often tripped over his shoelaces. His smile was supposed to make girls faint, but they often just giggled at his silly attempts to look bold. His expertise with weapons wasn't all that great either, seeing how he often ended up dropping the sword or crossbow. Yet despite it all, he liked to think of himself as a romantic sort of guy. He might have been klutzy and clumsy, far from the perfect Prince Charming he was supposed to be, but he was a gentlemen nonetheless.

Now… Raven was also someone who certainly didn't live up to her family name, nor did she want to try and do so. She liked every part of herself, but not in a egotistical way. She was confident without even trying, and talented and there was so much more about her than just being supposedly evil. She was a real girl, too. Down-to-earth, the type who actually thought about things. She made her own choices even before the Legacy Day fiasco and that was what made her who she was. But out of all the things she was, a hopeless romantic wasn't one of them.

She liked a good love story as much as any other female, but anything too sappy bored her to death. Perhaps that was another reason why she indulged in the idea of rewriting. She liked the idea of breaking what was written in stone.

And out of all the weird plot twists anyone could ever come across or write up, a light pink rose taped to her locker door was probably the strangest of them all.

Girls like her didn't receive roses. Princesses got them - Apple most of the time, Briar especially, even Ashlynn on occasion, or Holly and Poppy sometimes. But not Raven. At first, she seriously thought that the note before True Hearts' Day was a joke, now this?

It had to have been a prank, she thought. What else could it be? Who would want to try and woo the next Evil Queen?

She didn't pay too much mind to it, but Raven did appreciate the offer either way.

Just for decoration, she had woven the flower into the metal spiral of her notebook. It looked nice, against the purple plaid patterned cover. Plus, when she was bored out of her mind in class, looking at the rose lit up her spirits. Maybe she would never find out who gave it to her or what it meant, but it was still a very sweet gesture, she figured. Maybe it wasn't even meant for her, and it was placed on the wrong locker. It wasn't something she gave too much thought, though.

It was just a rose.

And yes, her friends had all teased her about it, but Raven usually waved it off with a smile and a laugh. A flower meant nothing…

...then again, the meaning behind it might.

Maid Marian's class of Environmental Magic went over many subjects with nature in the Enchanted Forest, and today's unit was plants and animals. It was a Show and Tell Day, and students had to display whatever kind of beauty they had recently found in the Forest. Of course, only Maid Marian would be kind enough to make that the only assignment for her students - so this class was more or less an easy A for everyone.

Most students had brought their pets - Briar's pet unicorn ended up eating a few of the tests left on the teacher's desk, Blondie's bear cub chewed up someone's shoe and Lizzie's hedgehog had somehow latched itself onto Maid Marian's cone hat - while others had literally made up stories about twigs. The whole lesson was a drag.

So when the time came for Raven to show and tell about her own Forest item, she was reluctant. To be fair, she didn't find it on her own, but bringing Nevermore to class obviously wouldn't be a good idea. This was the only option, more or less.

"Raven Queen, please give us your presentation," Maid Marian called.

Now or never, Raven realized as she gently took the rose out from her notebook and made her way to the front of the class. She felt anxious as she held it up, and she stammered as she tried to tell the fable behind it.

"Well," she said. "I found this on my locker, actually. But I know it's from the Enchanted Forest because I've seen ones like this there. I'm not a fan of roses but I still like this, because I know flowers mean things." Raven's nervousness melted away, and she genuinely smiled for the whole class to see. "They have stories, just like us. Some flowers are left to wilt because of bad weather or when people neglect to take care of them, while others bloom and survive, like this one." She didn't dare touch any of the petals, but she twirled it around between her fingers elegantly. "I don't know who gave it to me, or why, but I hope to someday find out the true fairytale."

Short, sweet, simple.

She had a small feeling that she would barely pass this assignment - her story wasn't nearly exciting as the one Sparrow told about the leaf that apparently functioned like a mood ring, yet only on a full moon - but it didn't matter too much.

Maid Marian softly clapped. "Very good, Raven," she praised. "You are right, flowers do have meanings, roses, especially. Do you know what light pink roses represent?"

Raven shook her head.

"Gentleness, joy, grace, harmony, warmth, and most importantly, admiration," the teacher explained.

"Admiration," Raven mused, with a small smile as she sat back in her seat.

She placed the flower back into her notebook and folded her hands as she returned her attention to the class. Then again, out of the corner of her eye, she couldn't help but notice Dexter, sitting nearby, looking awfully bashful.

Raven nearly blushed.

The possibility was there…

...and oh, how she hoped it was true.

* * *

_**author's note:** Just a small mini-series I've decided to write for Dexen because they're freakin' adorable. This story will consist of thirteen more chapters, which will be fairly short, like this one. A meaning for each type of rose._

_Why? BECAUSE I'M A HOPELESS ROMANTIC WHO LOVES THESE TWO MORE THAN I SHOULD._

_So yeah. If you like what I have so far, please let me know what you think with a review :)._


	2. Black -- Death

_**author's note:** Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm evil for not updating as quick as I should, but here goes nothing! By the way, I got a bit of help in this chapter from my best friend, XxLynChanxX. She writes for EAH too, so go check her out when you get the chance! :)  
_

* * *

Raven let out a restricted gasp, and fell to her knees, looking at the cold, eerily still gravestone implanted into the ground. Tears brimmed her eyes, and she found it painful to read the words carved into the smooth black marble. She couldn't believe that this was true, but the epitaph was the sick, twisted reality.

_Here lies The Evil Queen_  
_Narcissa Coraline_

_Legendary ruler and mother_

That was it. No beloved. They didn't even bother to carve in her birth and death dates. Raven felt so many emotions coursing through her veins, but all she could do was cry.

Of course she would be the only one here: her mother and father had divorced only months after Raven was born, and who else would want to mourn the death of the Evil Queen? As far as Raven was concerned, the realms were probably rejoicing. She knew what her mother was like, but that didn't mean anything. The story was that the Evil Queen had gone insane in her mirror prison and cast an suicidal enchantment on herself. Shortly after, the guards found her dead.

But it still wasn't fair. As cruel as her mother had been, Raven cared about her.

She hesitantly reached out, and traced her fingers onto the words. It sent shivers down her spine, and the shocking realization that no amount of magic could bring back the Queen broke Raven's heart yet again. She choked out a breath, and let go of the grave.

This wasn't a funeral. A small crowd of people normally showed up to those - to recognize someone they loved...

...but when there was only one person, it was nothing but a visit.

In her own way, Raven knew that her mother had loved her. Even the Evil Queen had a soft spot for her own daughter - or at least, that's what Raven liked to tell herself. She had always said, someday, she would ask her mother if she ever really cared, but now, there would be no chance to do such a thing. And inside, it was killing her. She knew there was no contacting the dead, or bringing them back, not without extreme consequence.

"Why, Mom?" Raven said, her voice coming out restricted and raspy. "Why couldn't you have just-" She pulled at the grass and sniffled.

There was nothing to say.

With shaky legs, Raven stood back up, and brushed off her funeral dress. She produced a small bouquet of black roses from under her arm, and laid them onto the grave. As far as she was concerned, that was something people did when loved ones died. Made the memorial look nice, perhaps in hopes to let the spirit know they weren't forgotten?

She didn't care. She just did it because it felt right. Maybe wherever her mother was, she would see it, and know her daughter cared.

Raven hadn't been to many memorials, unless pets counted. She didn't really know what to do. Instead, she stood still, let her tears fall, and stared up at the gloomy sky.

The sound of rustling leaves alerted her, and she whipped around, surprised to see a certain someone making their way up the hill. Raven had expected Maddie or Cerise, even Cedar, to show up, but...

"Dex?"

"Um, h-hi, Raven," Dexter said hesitantly, giving a small wave. "I heard about what happened."

"Oh," Raven muttered. "Yeah. I figured."

It was breaking news in every fairytale world: the forever-loathed Evil Queen was finally gone for good, no one had to worry anymore. Still, Raven was surprised to have a guest. She had expected everyone to be partying or gossiping about the story of how the Evil Queen had passed away. If she wasn't so depressed, Raven would have smiled at the fact that she still had a friend.

"Am I, you know, late? For all this, I mean." Dexter indicated the empty gravesite and Raven shook her head, wiping her eyes before meeting Dexter's gaze. She wasn't going to let him see her cry.

"I'm the only one that came. Nobody is mourning her death. They all hated her." Raven heard her voice crack, but Dexter was kind enough to ignore it. She cleared her throat, and scratched the back of her neck nervously. "You… you don't have to be here. You never knew her."

Dexter gave a half-hearted shrug, and took the last few steps up the hill to stand next to Raven. "She was important to you, though, wasn't she?" he asked.

Raven managed a small nod, brushing away a tear that escaped.

The most important thing her mother had taught her: don't cry in front of people.

"Did you, uh, ever have any good memories with her?" he inquired. "Or, was that offensive? I mean, I get she was evil, but-"

"-She was who she was," Raven replied. "I couldn't change her. I loved her, and-" She shrugged. "She was my mom. I could never hate her. She was meant to be evil, and that's what she did. She cared about me, I think." Another uneasy breath slipped past her lips. "I was only a kid when she ended up in mirror prison, so we didn't get that much personal time."

Dexter fell quiet, and nodded, as if he understood, but it was clear he didn't. Then again, Raven didn't expect him to know how she felt. Dexter's parents were both very much alive, and very much loved throughout all the Fairytale worlds. She was also sure that his Mother-Bonding time didn't involve security guards making sure he didn't accidently let the most hated character in all the land escape from a mirror. All the same, she was grateful. He could have been doing anything he wanted. He was admired, respected. He didn't need to be here, pretending to mourn for Raven's sake.

"Didn't she come to Show and Spell day once back in Spellementary School?" Dexter said.

Raven dared to show the smallest smile. "Yeah, and I nearly got kicked out of class," she muttered. "Everyone wanted to meet her, and then when she showed up, kids were hiding under their desks. It was kind of neat when she did that enchantment to make the carpets fly, though. At least she was trying for me back then."

Dexter stared at the gravestone. "Y'know, for an Evil Queen, she had a pretty name," he added.

Raven brushed away another tear. "She named me after my grandmother, actually," she said. "But I always wished I had a name like my mom's when I was younger. Sounded like a real Princess's, y'know?"

Dexter nudged her. "Hey, Raven… erm, whatever your middle name is," He smiled bashfully. "Uh, Raven Queen, it's still pretty either way." He noticed her slight shift in expression, and was glad he managed to make her brighten up on this dark moment in her life.

"Victoria," Raven said. "My middle name. It was my great-grandmother's. The first Evil Queen."

"Raven Victoria," Dexter murmured. He was now tempted to use her full name all of the time... it was better that Dexterous Merlin Charming. She was named after family. He was named after a crazy old wizard who didn't wear underpants (if rumors were to be believed). He cleared his throat, and said the first thing that popped into his head for a subject change: "So you miss her a lot, huh?"

…he put his family name to shame.

Raven nodded slightly. "You know, when people die, you always wish that there was one last thing you could say to them? Or they could say to you?" she mumbled. She sniffled, and didn't care so much about crying in front of him now. He was a friend - more than that. It was ok, she decided. "I… I sort of wish we could both say sorry." She brushed her hair out of her face, and closed her eyes to keep from crying. "Neither of us were perfect. One last apology from each of us, it-" She choked on her words for a moment. "-it might have made me feel a bit better,:

Dexter raised an eyebrow. "Sorry?" he asked. "For what?"

Raven hesitated. "A lot of things," she said softly. "I could say sorry for not being the daughter she wanted. She could apologize for doing all of the things she did. I mean, even after mirror prison, she tried to get me to put curses on people. For hex's sake, she thought the reason I tore my page out of the Storybook of Legends was because I wanted to take over all of the realms, like she did!" Her voice cracked again, and she looked back up to the sky. "I… I could never tell her that I didn't want to be evil. She was so proud of having someone to take her role, I always felt so... inferior to her. I purposely messed up our magic lessons, so I wouldn't have to try and poison a bunny or whatever. She told me power was everything, and love was weakness, and… and I guess that's what makes me doubt her sometimes. If she ever really cared about me. I know there's tough love, but-" She stopped, and fell silent, looking back down to the ground.

Dexter was appalled for a moment. He never figured being a child of a villain could be easy, but Raven was visibly torn. Her points were very true: it _was_ her mother who had died, but someone who had started up so much terror…

He took her hand, and held it. Raven stepped closer, and laid her head on his shoulder. Dexter tried his hardest not to blush, and instead, he tightened his grip ever-so-slightly in a reassuring squeeze. He didn't want to ruin anymore moments, so instead, he stood there with her, in the gloomy afternoon. The cold breeze danced in the air, and the thick grey clouds began setting up the picture for a storm.

"Let's get out of here," Raven muttered. "I'm in enough trouble with Grimm, he'll yell at me again if I show up to my dorm late."

"Y-yeah, ok," Dexter spoke up. He let go of her hand, and coughed nervously. "S-sure."

The two of them made their way back down the hill, and before he even knew it, Dexter found himself putting his two-cents in again.

"You know, I don't think your mom would be disappointed in you," he said. "Y'know, for the whole Legacy Day thing. You started a rebellion. That's not really evil, but- er, I'm not saying you are, it's just, it's something new, you get it? While your mom flipped the script in the bad way, you're doing it for a good reason. She would probably be proud of you if she could see you now."

Raven threatened to show another smile. "Thanks, Dex," she whispered.

Dexter smiled bashfully and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Anytime," he said.

_Queen Narcissa, wherever you are,_ he said to himself as he looked to the dark sky. _You better be watching over how amazing your daughter really is..._

* * *

_**author's note: **__*puts down feels gun* Sorry, guys, it had to be done._


	3. Blue -- Mystery

_**author's note:** ZZ Ward's "Til The Casket Drops" album weirdly enough gives me Dexen feels, so I started being productive again._

* * *

Dexter shivered as he made his way down the sidewalk of Village of Bookend. Normally, no one reasonable would be out in this bone-chilling winter weather, but people did crazy things when they cared about someone else. It was in the twilight hours of the morning, and he was trudging through freshly fallen snow on a early December morning. He wouldn't be out here by choice, but instead, because of that fact that someone had summoned him.

It wasn't anything extravagant...

...just a note, and a rose.

A blue rose; with a crumpled note, written in scrawled handwriting of someone he didn't know.

_4am. Gazebo near the cafes._

Anyone else would call him very brave, or very stupid to follow the directions, but Dexter decided to go out anyway. The shops in the village were dressed for the holiday season, and the spirit of Christmas was definitely in the air. It lifted up Dexter's soul ever-so-slightly, but once he noticed the gazebo near the edge of town, he felt a hesitant feeling course through his veins.

He adjusted his jacket, and shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked over.

Much to his confusion, no one was there. The grand clock in the town square read a quarter after four; he was always late for everything...

...but it seemed that so was the person who wrote the note-

"Ah, hello there, Prince Dexterous," a voice spoke up.

Letting out a surprised gasp, Dexter whipped around and noticed Old Man Winter sitting on the bench that was right next to the gazebo. That wasn't too shocking, he realized; Old Man Winter was a spirit. He could travel anywhere he wanted in the blink of an eye, but why the controller of the cold wanted to see him was the more puzzling factor of it all. Dexter stepped away, and shuddered slightly, zipping up his coat.

He waved awkwardly. "Just Dexter," he said.

Old Man Winter nodded. "I know," he murmured. "But I shall call you by your given name, child. Now, I am the messenger to the person who sent you the note-"

"-I kinda figured it wasn't you," Dexter mumbled. He felt around in his pocket, and gently touched the now crumpled up rose he had brought with him. "What's this about?"

"Your heart isn't cold, Dexterous," Old Man Winter said, in his raspy, howling tone of voice. "It warms around a certain girl, does it not?"

Dexter hesitated, and reluctantly nodded. "Y-yeah," he admitted. His cheeks colored, and he stammered, about to reply, but he was interrupted.

Old Man Winter raised up a bony finger. "A future Queen," he whispered. "She has skin that is pale as this snow, and dark lips, painted violet. She looks like the picture of innocence to you, yet she is meant to have a soul that is black as her name."

Dexter gave a halfhearted shrug. "I guess," he replied, kicking a small pile of ice.

It didn't a rocket scientist to figure out that Old Man Winter was using his strange metaphors to describe Raven.

Old Man Winter shook his head, and reached out, grabbing Dexter's hand into his own. The Prince let out an annoyed groan at the cold, and he winced at the icy touch.

"Stay away from her," the spirit hissed.

"Wh-what?" Dexter stammered.

"I only send the message, boy!" Old Man Winter rasped. "Follow it!"

He let go of Dexter's hand, and just like that, a sudden gust of wind carried the spirit of the season away into the air. Dexter stammered, and turned around in a circle to find him again, but the attempt was futile. Stay away from Raven? Dexter had no reason to do that. She was so kind to everyone, him especially...

"Waste of my time," Dexter muttered.

He propped up the hood on his coat and began trekking back to the school. Someone must have thought that it was funny to pull a prank.

_**-xoxo-**_

"You worthless _idiot_!"

A book flew against the wall, its' pages flying out and scattering on the floor. Followed by another, and another. It was clear that this was being done in the spirit of anger.

Old Man Winter groaned. "Milton, you told me to give the boy the message, nothing more," he mumbled. "If you requested for me to give him the reason why-"

The Headmaster shook his head. "Must I explain everything to you?" he snapped back. "You are the only one in this realm who could convince a Prince as daft as Dexterous Charming to stay away from the girl that will ruin everyone's stories. He's a big enough fool to fall in love with her, a few words could convince him otherwise."

Old Man Winter shrugged. "You yourself said destiny cannot be changed, Milton," he retorted.

Grimm raised an eyebrow. "And what does that mean?" he said through gritted teeth.

Yet, he asked his question too late. The spirit was gone.

"They're all fools," the Headmaster growled.

* * *

_**author's note:** Hey, what did you expect? Grimm has to try and sink this ship somehow. To be honest, I would be genuinely surprised if this didn't happen in EAH. Anyway, the next chapter should be more light-hearted and will feature Raven, I promise :3._


	4. Yellow -- I Care

_**author's note:** Here's a bit of Christmas in July for you folks! Because let's face it, I want my snow back. Summer is too damn hot. Enjoy the bittersweet holiday stuff, seeing how Blue took place in early December. The story follows a timeline as you can see.  
_

_This chapter is a lot longer 'cause I wanted to make up for the short one and no Raven last time around.  
_

_Enjoy! :)_

* * *

Raven kept her gaze focused on her reflection as she sat in front of her vanity and adjusted the white faux fur collar on her holiday gown. It seemed that by now, the whole Legacy Day fiasco had blown over, and the Christmas spirit was in full swing in the realms. No one could be bitter or cruel, not even if they tried. And of course, the halls of Ever After High were elegantly decorated to suit the season. Tonight was the school's Holiday Dance and everyone was excited.

In fact, the music from the grand hall could be heard all the way from the dorm rooms, where Raven was still nervous about going down.

Sure, she didn't start fires of chaos and fighting anymore like she used to, but she was skeptical. Maybe she could just stay here, open whatever gifts she got from her friends and eat the cookies Maddie had baked far too many of.

Besides, this dress her father had sent her was nice, it was itchy…

The snow outside was setting up the perfect White Christmas scene. It would almost be a crime not to go down and at least enjoy a few minutes. Raven stood up, and slid on her black pumps. She picked up the bag full of gifts she hadn't given yet, and patted down her hair to make it look a bit more presentable. The dark green highlights in her hair weren't exactly her favorite, but Maddie had insisted they looked cute, so Raven decided to relent. Besides, it was Christmas. No one really cared too much about looks; it was all about the traditional colors of red, green, white and gold. The sparkles were fun, anyway.

She twirled around in front of the mirror, for a small spark of confidence, and she smiled.

Who said she couldn't have a Merry Christmas too? After all, she couldn't hide in her room forever.

She made her way out, and ripped off the small list she had taped onto the bag. Those who had already been given their gifts were checked off, while only a few last people remained. Of course, Kitty had stolen her gift weeks ago, and it was hard for Raven to hide a present from Apple, her own roommate, so those were already done. Cedar had been given hers as well early, because Raven had actually bought it right in front of her, so there was no use in a surprise. As for Maddie, she was ridiculously good at pulling puppy eyes.

All that was left was Cerise, Cupid, Lizzie and Dexter.

Easy enough. Raven decided she would mingle and dance for a while after she gave out the gifts and then head back to her dorm. Besides, it was getting late and like other students, she had a carriage to catch tomorrow morning to spend Christmas back home.

Raven smiled when she made her way to the top of the grand golden staircase at the end of the hall that towered over the main event. Everything was perfectly set up, while students and teachers alike celebrated the holiday. For once, Sparrow and the Merry Men weren't playing crazy screamo music, and they didn't do half-bad as they played a pop rock version of the most famous Christmas songs. Thankfully, it looked like Ashlynn had volunteered to sing a few songs to set a more calming scene. It was all wonderful; and the sweet scent of cinnamon and sugar was in the air.

Treats, decorations, presents: the superficial parts of Christmas were definitely fun.

A very familiar giggle was heard, and Raven heard her name called. She looked down, and laughed when she saw Maddie waving her arms like a crazy person.

She made her way down the ivory steps, and greeted a few of her fellow students. Most were cheerful enough to return the feeling, but one or two still had the cold shoulder. Fortunately, Raven saw Lizzie sitting by the window, on her own, watching the snow fall.

"Hey, Lizzie," Raven spoke up. "Merry Christmas." She reached into her bag, and pulled out the gift she had brought.

Lizzie looked genuinely surprised as she looked at the box. "Merry Christmas, Raven. Thank you," she replied as she reluctantly took the gift. "I - I'm sorry, I didn't think that you would get me anything, otherwise-"

Raven smiled. "It's ok. Go on, open it," she smiled.

Lizzie raised an eyebrow, hesitant for a moment, but when she pulled off the wrapping, she broke out into a wide grin when she saw what it was. It was a snowglobe, with the Queen of Hearts' castle inside the tiny glass shell. When she shook it, bright red glitter fell down. "This is beautiful," she murmured.

"I know how much you, Maddie and Kitty miss home," Raven explained. "So I got custom ones for each of you."

"I… I appreciate it," Lizzie said softly. "Thank you," she repeated.

Raven returned the grin and began the rest of her trek down the long staircase. It gave her a perfect view of the whole entire dance, where everyone was having fun. There was no such thing as a glum mood on this most wonderful day of the year.

She didn't know why she even hesitated coming down here. Everything really was perfect.

In fact, even the Headmaster had the smallest of smiles, or something that resembled it. That was a for sure good sign.

The mix of high school and holidays was a strangely harmonious one. Raven liked seeing all of the students together; they were friends, no matter what. But any other typical school day, most of the time, it wasn't that way. If Christmas was what it took to keep everyone together and realize that stories weren't boundaries, then she wished that it was Christmas everyday.

On the other hand, that might take away the magic.

As Raven headed over to the snack table for a cinnamon roll and some hot chocolate, she noticed a familiar flash in the corner of her eye: brown, blue and were those glasses she saw? She looked over her shoulder, but maybe it was all in her head.

Ever since the holiday season had started up, she had barely seen Dexter outside of school; and even then, he was distant.

She couldn't help but wonder why.

"There you are!" Maddie piped up as she tackled her best friend into a hug. "You're an hour late!"

"Sorry," Raven said, with a soft laugh. She took a bit of the cinnamon roll, and eyed the dancefloor. "Did I miss anything?"

"Well, aside from the really awkward time where Mr. Badwolf and Mrs. Her Majesty The White Queen got stuck under the mistletoe, nope," Maddie replied. "He looked so embarrassed, though! He couldn't kiss her." She laughed, and pulled out her cell phone. "Look, Blondie even filmed it!"

Raven shook her head playfully as she watched the five second clip full of laughter in the background. She wiped a bit of icing off of the side of her mouth, and peered into her bag. "Speaking of Badwolf, have you seen Cerise?" she asked.

Maddie cocked her head to the side. "What does Mr. Badwolf have to do with Cerise?" she inquired.

Raven stammered, and hesitated. "Well, y'know, he's the villain in her story," she said quickly. "And I didn't give her my gift yet."

Maddie nodded, apparently convinced. "She left the party early, she wanted to celebrate with just her mom," she explained. "You could give it to her when she gets back, I guess." She took a gingerbread cookie from the tray, and bit the head off. "You know, it's more humane to eat them this way, so that way, their poor little gingerbread bodies don't suffer while you enjoy the yumminess."

"Ok then," Raven said slowly. She noticed a sparkle of purple magic, and a piece of mistletoe was sitting on the table. "Don't hold back on my account, Kitty. But don't be surprised if Grimm catches you soon."

"Always the downer," Kitty's sweet melodic voice trilled as she poofed into midair.

She held the famous holiday plant up and stole a kiss from Maddie, then dissolving into thin air quickly as she came.

Maddie giggled like a fool, and chased after the floating glitter.

Raven chuckled at how adorable at her friends were, all in love and being romantic in the only silly way they knew. She glanced back to her gift bag, and scanned her gaze around the hall. Best to give gifts first, then have her fun. She noticed Cupid not so far away, and waved the girl over.

Cupid floated over with her feathery wings failing a little; she still had to get used to flying.

"Merry Christmas," Raven said, as she held out the pink box.

"Same to you," Cupid grinned. She took an envelope out of her pocket and held it out. "Sorry, it's only a gift card. I wasn't sure what to get you, so there's twenty-five dollars worth of coffee at the Hocus Cafe."

"Thanks," Raven replied. "I knew a lot of people keep breaking the case to your arrows so-"

Cupid ripped open the gift, and broke out into a wide smile as she shakily landed onto the tile floor. "A digital one? Really?" she beamed. She pressed the keypad, testing out for a passcode. "This is perfect!"

Raven winked playfully. "And it's not glass," she added.

"I didn't realize how much I needed one of these," Cupid joked. She heard commotion on the other end of the hall, and she sighed. "Cheshire and that stupid mistletoe again…"

Without even saying goodbye, she fluttered off.

Raven laughed as she heard one of Kitty's loud hisses, followed by a few people arguing. She had to admit; that trickster did have a twisted sense of humor, but it was still funny most of the time. She took a sip of her hot cocoa and softly hummed along to the rhythm of the Christmas carol. A few boys and girls were slow-dancing, while the other students goofed off and swapped presents.

...then suddenly, Raven noticed Dexter clearly this time. He was by the stage, sitting alone, pulling at the collar of his sweater.

Despite how hilariously horrible the shirt looked, Raven still thought he was cute.

She felt a blush creep up, and she self-consciously adjusted her dress. Normally, she wouldn't dress up for anyone, but Dexter wasn't really anyone…

As Raven made her way across the hall, she handed the second-to-last to Mr. Badwolf. When he saw the red wrapping, he nodded, and Raven gave a thumbs-up. Keeping a secret was easier said than done, she thought to herself. She wondered how he had done it all these years.

But that was a question for another time.

Raven walked to the table, and gave a small wave.

"Hi," she said softly. "Is anyone else sitting here?"

"Uh, well-" Dexter stammered, and stuttered, adjusting his glasses. He cleared his throat, and scratched the back of his neck. "N-no. Just me. You can hang out, i-if you really want to, or, uh… whatever."

"Cool," Raven murmured, as she gave him a halfhearted smile that he didn't return.

That was weird. Dexter was always jittery about something around her, but not like this.

She hesitated, and carefully took the last present out from her bag.

"I got this for you," she spoke up. "It took a bit of asking around, because I didn't really know what you would want and-" She bit her tongue. She wasn't going to put in the fact that he had been ignoring for a few weeks now. "I didn't want to give you a lame gift card. That's all. Daring and Darling told me you were obsessed with some normie show or whatever. I special ordered it online so… Merry Christmas."

Dexter's eyes went wide in surprise. It was clear to see he didn't think Raven would put so much effort into a gift. Ordering from the normie realm was expensive, and a long wait. He almost took it, but recoiled his hand back.

"You didn't have to," he mumbled.

"I know," she said, with that same sweet smile. "But I wanted to."

"Well, I…" Dexter felt in his jeans pocket for the gift he had given her. "I guess I'll take it." He slid his gift for her out, and put it on the table. "Here."

Raven picked it up, and opened the small box. "A new mp3 player?" she asked.

Dexter nodded. "I made a playlist," he said bashfully. "Songs that made me think of you."

Raven gently ran her fingers over the silver buttons on the touch screen, and went through the titles. Ever Ever After by Carrie Underworld, A Thousand Years by Castina Perri, Set Apart This Dream by Fairyleaf, all songs she had never heard before listed under the pop rock genre.

"Thanks," Raven smiled.

Dexter still hadn't opened his gift. Instead, he just twirled the silver ribbon around his fingers, and fiddled with his glasses.

Raven cleared her throat, and reached into her bag one more time. She had a yellow rose in between her fingers, and she held it out. "I saw this in Environmental Magic class," she said. "Ever since Show and Spell day, Maid Marian has been telling me what certain roses mean. Yellow means friendship and it's a sign you care about someone."

"Oh," Dexter said softly as he took the rose. "Neat."

Raven swirled around the now cold chocolate drink in her cup. "I'm going to dance," she said, as a ballad began playing. "Want to join me?"

Dexter shook his head. "I'm not in the mood," he replied.

He nearly frowned when he noticed her expression fell.

"Well, if you want to join me, you can," Raven offered.

"Yeah, maybe," Dexter said wistfully.

She reluctantly got up and left him alone. Instead of dancing, she decided to head outside. The snow was now whipping around, and the wind was bitter cold. Raven literally shivered, and she let out a sigh as she looked out to the foggy horizon.

For the first time in this holiday season, she felt cold in the worst way possible.

She could only wonder why.

* * *

_**author's note:** My plans for this was cuteness. It was, really. But I realized that Blue needed a sequel, so here it is! But I really do promise, the next chapter should be fluffy enough to stuff your pillows! :)_

_If you liked this chapter, please let me know what you thought with a review!_


End file.
